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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25021033">Quiet Stansbury</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/temporalCorvidae/pseuds/temporalCorvidae'>temporalCorvidae</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>"pampered and coddled by the town" my ass the second Randall's gone they treat him like a stranger, Alphonse is bad with emotion, Angst with a semi-happy (hopeful?) Ending, Autistic Hershel Layton (if you squint), Gen, Hershel is not doing okay, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kinda, Miracle Mask Spoilers, You know what I mean, also kinda - Freeform, but he tries, implied/referenced bullying/rumors, mutuals to friends, not knowing how to handle a panic attack, survivor's guilt, then again nobody is, when I read froshels character description it makes me upsetti, you know how it be (pensive emoji)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 07:01:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,693</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25021033</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/temporalCorvidae/pseuds/temporalCorvidae</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Stansbury wasn't the same after Hershel returned alone from Akbadain. Even the sun seemed to hide behind the clouds, and no one's feeling worse than Hershel Layton. Even Alphonse, who nearly prides himself on his lack of emotional perception, can see there's something up.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alphonse Dalston &amp; Hershel Layton</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Quiet Stansbury</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Going back to stansbury after beating miracle mask is such a sad experience because everyone's just so awkward and stand offish around Hershel. Except for Dalston, and at first I didn't think much of him, but he really seems to be the only one giving hershel the benefit of the doubt here besides Hershel's parents. So I wanted to write about it. The negative treatment of Hershel might be a little exaggerated and I'm sorry about that fkdbdkdvkss I hope you like this I guess kdvdks.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="title">
  <p>If there was one that Alphonse knew about himself, it's that he was never really an emotional guy.</p>
</div><p>Even so, hearing the news of Randall's death struck a chord deep within him that he didn't know existed. It was a twisting in his gut, as if he had just eaten something unpleasant, but despite the sickening feeling of discontent, he didn't really cry.<br/>
Everyone else certainly cried.<br/>
Ledore cried silent tears, as if he had been stricken (though, Alphonse supposed, he had been in a way). Angela, well - Angela was heartbroken, and her tears were anything but silent. At the mere mention of Ascot, she'd start to break.<br/>
Layton. He'd seen Layton briefly at the memorial service; he had stayed in the back of the audience, messing with the tie of his black suit. His expressions were always hard to read, even to someone besides Alphonse, but there was a dull pain behind his dark eyes. When his mother asked if he wanted to say a few words he nearly shook with fear. After that, he was quietly ushered home by his parents.<br/>
Despite all of that, tears didn't fall. Kind of like Alphonse.<br/>
Angela and Layton didn't come back to school for a while, and without Ascot around, the classes felt awkward and silent. Everyone was always waiting for his dorky interjections in the middle of lecture, but they never came. It was quiet, just like the rest of Stansbury.<br/>
Eventually, Angela returned to class. She was met with sympathy from friends, hugs, gifts, the works.<br/>
Layton wasn't quite so lucky. Besides Randall and Angela, he didn't really have many close friends.<br/>
When he returned to class, he was met with glances, whispers. Maybe an awkward greeting or two. And an occasional glare from Angela.<br/>
Alphonse knew Angela was still distraught. He wasted to let her know that it was going to be okay. Maybe it wouldn't be very helpful, but every little thing would count, right? Angela never really found his presence comforting, no matter how much he tried. The way she seemed to be treating Layton, though; it rubbed him the wrong way. He couldn't exactly pin the blame on Layton. He was an easy scapegoat, he knew that, but he also knew Ascot.<br/>
Randall was an idiot. To Alphonse, at least.<br/>
It was a particularly dreary day in the classroom, and Alphonse was ignoring the class to study up on financial skills and business as per usual when he overheard some whispering beside him.<br/>
"Look at Hershel, poor chap is still distraught."<br/>
"Who wouldn't be after killing someone like Randall?"<br/>
Alphonse could feel the twisted feeling in his gut return, and he tried to will himself to ignore the chatter, but that only made it louder.<br/>
"We don't know for sure he did that!"<br/>
"Angela said so, didn't she? She said he killed him in that cave, dropped him right then and there."<br/>
"Shh, not so loud!"<br/>
"Can't believe we've got a murderer among us in this classroom."<br/>
"Did you hear about what mister Ascot -"<br/>
"<em>Stop it!!</em>" The two students jumped in surprise.<br/>
The outburst was from none other than Hershel Layton. He wasn't one to raise his voice, but..<br/>
The brunette opened his mouth , but closed it when he realized the room had gone silent. Everyone was staring at him. He whimpered quietly before standing up and running out of the room, slamming the classroom door behind him. The silence remained.<br/>
Alphonse couldn't handle it anymore. This was too much.<br/>
With not so much as a glance to the class, he got out of his chair and left the room, a bit more discreetly than Layton. After closing the door, he walked briskly down the hallway, trying to listen for Layton. He heard the distant slapping of shoes against tile, meaning Hershel had probably gone to the breezeway. The only place he went to through the breezeway was.. ah, of course.<br/>
Alphonse instinctively scrunched up his nose as his entered the fencing club locker room. It wasn't really that bad in hindsight, but Alphonse had a distinct dislike for dexterous sports. But that didn't matter right now.<br/>
What mattered was the small teen sitting against the lockers, knees pulled up to his chest, face hidden in his arms.<br/>
Alphonse spoke up, making Hershel jump.<br/>
"So, uh, you doin' okay?"<br/>
That was a stupid question, of course he wasn't.<br/>
Hershel stared at him, apparently speechless.<br/>
"Figured. Uh," he hadn't planned this at all. "Wanna, uh, talk about it? Or something?"<br/>
"I'm fine. I'm just tired," Hershel said dully, slowly retracting to his turtle position.<br/>
"Bullshit. You're not fine, Layton."<br/>
He flinched at Alphonse's response. Alphonse crouched down next to him.<br/>
"Listen," he said, carefully choosing his words, "I know as little as everyone about what happened down there, but clearly? It wasn't your fault."<br/>
No response. Alphonse pressed further.<br/>
"You probably feel like it is, and everyone out there using you as a scapegoat for an accident probably makes it worse. I dunno, but what I do know is that whatever happened, you didn't do it."<br/>
"I let him <em>fall</em>, Dalston!" Hershel suddenly wailed. "I couldn't hold onto him and I let him <em>fall!</em> Th-there was a big chasm, and the floor was sinking, and I grabbed his hand and I let go and he fell!!"<br/>
Hershel, understandably, started to cried, tears falling off his reddened cheeks. "I killed him."<br/>
"Layton," Alphonse swallowed thickly. "You said there was a chasm, yeah? A big hole? And the floor was sinking? You didn't cause that. You didn't kill him."<br/>
"You don't know that!!!"<br/>
Layton was getting louder, more emotional. Alphonse was struggling a little to keep up.<br/>
"You don't know that! I could have helped him, I didn't know what to do, I was stupid, I let him go, and get himself killed! It's my fault! Everyone says it's my fault and it is!" Layton grabbed his hair tightly in his fists, several weeks' worth of tears still gliding off of his cheeks like rain. "Why wasn't it me?? Why didn't I fall! I'm the stupid, stupid, stupid-"<br/>
He was cut off by Alphonse putting his hands firmly on hershels shoulders.<br/>
"Layton-"<br/>
"Stop trying to defend me-!" Hershel shrieked, making Alphonse flinch. "stop it!!! I don't deserve anyone's pity!!"<br/>
"Layton -"<br/>
"I don't deserve anything!!!!"<br/>
Layton pushed Alphonse away from him, before grabbing his afro a second time and slamming his head against the lockers behind him. Alphonse stared in shock, until he did it a second time.<br/>
"Hershel!! What the hell??" He shouted, grabbing itgrabbing Hershel by the shoulders and pulling him away from the wall. He didn't know what to do! He didn't have experience with this shit! He just needed to get Hershel away from the wall before he gave himself a concussion.<br/>
Hershel screamed at him, kicked at him, demanded to be let go. Alphonse didn't let him go, he was stronger than Hershel, and he was used to getting into fights. He held him firmly by the shoulders, biting back the twisted feeling yet again.<br/>
Hershel's voice grew hoarse fairly quickly, and eventually he slowed down, sniffling and giving up on struggling. Alphonse still held him, almost scared he'd try to hurt himself again if he let go.<br/>
"It wasn't your fault," he repeated again, firmly, but gently, in a way. "It wasn't your fault then, it isn't your fault now, no matter what anybody says. You understand?"<br/>
He hated being soft, but he let his pride go for once. He gave Hershel a hug.<br/>
Hershel didn't respond for a while. Alphonse wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing. In all honesty, he probably wasn't, but he couldn't think of anything else he could do.<br/>
It caught him off guard when Hershel hugged him back, but he gave him an awkward pat on the back and accepted it. He took a slow, deep breath. He felt awfully awkward; mushy stuff like "hugging" and "telling someone it was gonna be okay" wasn't his forte. But it seemed as though Hershel was starting to feel better, so that was… good, he guessed.<br/>
Eventually, Hershel gently pushed away, and Alphonse was honestly kind of relieved the hug was over. Hershel slumped back against the locker, emotionally and physically exhausted.<br/>
"'s your head okay?" Alphonse asked awkwardly, standing up.<br/>
Hershel put a hand to his forehead, nodding slowly. Alphonse nodded back. The awkward silence was suffocating.<br/>
"Listen, uh," god he should really plan before speaking, "if you ever need to, uh. Talk, or something. Um. You can talk to me, I guess. If you want. I'll, uh.. I'll listen."<br/>
Hershel hesitated before nodding again.<br/>
"I, uh. Do you wanna go home? I can, uh. Walk you home if you want."<br/>
"yes, please," he whimpered quietly.<br/>
Alphonse nodded and helped him up, giving him another awkward pat on the shoulder.<br/>
•••<br/>
The next day was also dreary and cloudy. It seemed to match the mood of the town. Alphonse was sketching out possible floor plans for his dream hotel, when he noticed a certain brunette standing awkwardly by his desk.<br/>
He shot Hershel a small, casual smirk, the kind he'd usually throw at him and Ascot. Hershel attempted a small smile, though it was obvious he had to force himself to express anything positive.<br/>
"Um. I, um," he stammered quietly, fidgeting a little before setting down a small package on Alphonse's desk.<br/>
"H - here," he said flatly before turning around and walking back to his seat, sitting down and staring at the chalkboard.<br/>
Alphonse quirked an eyebrow before glancing at the note attached to the package.<br/>
<em>Alphonse,<br/>
I'm sorry about yesterday. Ma and I were baking when I got home and she suggested I give some to you.<br/>
Thanks.<br/>
H.L.</em><br/>
Alphonse noticed Hershel glancing at him nervously. He flashed him a grin, and upon noticing it, Hershel gave a smile. Smaller than before, but a bit less forced.<br/>
The sun shone into the classroom for just a moment. It faded as class started, but Alphonse figured it'd show up a bit more permanently eventually.<br/>
Clouds usually went away with time.</p>
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